Does the Catholic Church put the death of Samson in the category of suicide?

score:5

Accepted answer

St. Thomas Aquinas gives this precise objection in his question on "Whether it is lawful to kill oneself?" (Summa Theologica II-II q. 64 a. 5 arg 4):

Samson killed himself, as related in Judges 16:30, and yet he is numbered among the saints (Heb. 11:32). Therefore it is lawful for a man to kill himself.

To which he replies (ibid. ad 4):

As Augustine says (De Civ. Dei i , 21*),

not even Samson is to be excused that he crushed himself together with his enemies under the ruins of the house, except the Holy Ghost, Who had wrought many wonders through him, had secretly commanded him to do this.

He assigns the same reason [De Civ. Dei i, 26**] in the case of certain holy women, who at the time of persecution took their own lives, and who are commemorated by the Church.

*"Of the Cases in Which We May Put Men to Death Without Incurring the Guilt of Murder"
**"That in Certain Peculiar Cases the Examples of the Saints are Not to Be Followed". He shows that if a soldier obeying his commander to kill does not commit murder, then a fortiori someone obeying God's command to kill himself does not murder himself.

More post

Search Posts

Related post